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A roundhouse reconstruction at the Ancient Technology Outdoor Education Centre in Cranbourne, Dorset (Photo Credit: Clive Perrin) I put this on the list because I think when people are interested in the Celts and the early Middle Ages, what a lot of people are unaware of is that there are four or five beautiful books that came down from the Dark Ages, still very interesting to read today. Perhaps the very best of these books is this one, Life of Columba by Adomnan . Well, the ancient Celts were tied together by a common group of languages; we have evidence of common mythical heroes, a common religion, and there is also evidence of a common sense of identity, which is perhaps the most important. They thought of themselves as a people apart. So we have to distinguish between the Britannians - those people who lived under Roman rule; the 'British' - a global term used by contemporary historians to describe anyone living in what is now the UK, but probably not the Irish; and 'Britons' - predominently Welsh, but certainly indigenous people resisting the Anglo-Saxon invaders. 'Celtic' is not the only problematic term, Roberts, however, has no problem using 'British', etc.
Ellis is a talented and esteemed Celtic scholar as well as creative writer, and although the book is completely nontechnical, jargon-free, and reads as fiction rather than nonfiction, the reader can sense that this is the work of an accomplished professional in the field. The Romans diod not 'conquer' Britain (though there are hundreds of books and articles which include the words "Roman conquest of Britain"). The Roman occupation only briefly extended into what is now Scotland, it held equally problematic sway over what are now Wales and Cornwall, was subject to raids all round the coast and, despite a relatively huge garrison, the Romans couldn't hold their province. There were three main branches of Celts in Europe – Brythonic, Gaulic and Gaelic. Brythonic Celts (Britons) settled in England. Many Celts were farmers, so they grew their own food and learned where they could gather nuts, berries and honey around their village.But the book focuses on different themes than Sjoestedt or Mac Cana (above) do. It also draws extensively from later folk traditions from the Celtic lands, especially Wales and Ireland, and compares them with what we know of pre-Christian Celtic religion. This book surveys evidence from all over Europe, eventually coming to the conclusion that Celticness might have originated in the West and spread east, rather than the other way round. It also pours cold water on the idea of human sacrifices (though it doesn’t mention some of the archaeological evidence about Boudicca’s revolt and the claims of human sacrifice and barbaric practices around that), with what I think seems like justified scepticism. Roberts points out that we’ve got a fundamental problem where the literature is interpreted in ways which prop up the interpretation of archaeological finds, at the same time as those archaeological finds are held up as truth in interpreting the literature.
The book compares the mythology and religion of the Celts to that of the Norse and other Germanic peoples, illustrating many of the powerful and compelling commonalities between the two traditions. This approach is especially important since the sources of our knowledge of the Celts and Germanic peoples are few in number and written at a late date, usually by people who had already converted to Christianity. None of them provide anything close to a full or comprehensive picture, but all of them have clues to contribute. It loses a star for its clear bias for a theory that remains controversial. And it loses a star for the depth of the reporting. Instead of in-depth discussion we get paragraphs of questions and dismissals without argument ("I'm not convinced."). The worst comes at the end. The epilogue [SPOILER ALERT] includes a quote that Celtic is still spoken but Latin is not, which (her friend) declares "a triumph of sorts". This is an absurd statement given French, Italian, Spanish, Romania, and Portuguese are all descended from Latin in the same way Welsh, Irish, and Gaelic are descended from 4th Century Celtic languages. It should not have been included at all. That’s right. We have various interesting war leaders – Boudicca in Britain for example, just after the Roman conquest – and some of the figures I dredge up in the early part of my book are these Celtic tribal leaders from beyond the Alps that came crashing down to the Mediterranean in the early centuries BC. Dagda lazily swept his fingers across the strings of a harp and played a beautiful melody. The music of grief made the Fomorians stop and bow as they sniveled. Soldiers sobbed, too but drew their mantles to ensure no one could see their tears flowing.Men and women in Celtic times usually wore long tunics with different accessories, such as coats, capes or belts. Druids were the priests of the Celts. We know a little about the druids from reading the descriptions of Roman historians.The main centre of the druids in Britain was Anglesey. Druids were an important part of Iron Age society and were responsible for all kinds of religious ceremonies. They were capable and powerful members of the tribe and were respected by the other Celts. The books are numbered roughly from the most newbie-friendly and general (#1) to the most advanced and/or specialized (#9). The lower-numbered books aren’t necessarily better than the higher-numbered ones, but they are generally more accessible.
However, there were several things that I found challenging about reading this book. The first thing I came up against was the expectations on the part of the author that the reader would already have a good grounding in ancient geography. I do not! And so I often found myself feeling a little lost as she referenced various towns, cities and regions of which I knew nothing. I think if I'd had a basic knowledge of the layout of the ancient world it would have been a more enjoyable read for me. What did the Celts look like? Find out more about the reconstruction of a Celtic warrior's body found at Lindow Moss in Cheshire, famously known as the Lindow Man. His last meal was also analysed to understand more about his diet! Celtic mythology survived in the early centuries as the primary oral tradition. Legends and sagas were passed down to generations through storytelling. But it was after the Roman conquest that these mythological stories were recorded in writing. The Celtic cross represents the region’s unique take on the Catholic cross. In addition, many Celtic folklore stories, such as the legend of Cu Chulainn, are still told in Ireland. One of the fascinating things is that it’s very difficult for us to separate legend from history – we’re really honestly not sure with the early figures whether they’re real or not, whether they’re heroes from Celtic mythology or real historical individuals.The Celts lived in round houses with thatched roofs – they were made in the shape of circles, rather than with four walls. By the third century B.C., the Celts controlled much of the European continent north of the Alps mountain range, including present-day Ireland and Great Britain.
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